Once again, the Sox cannot deliver the death blow against a 1/2 decent team (or the Skanks).THIS was the opportunity to get into 1st place for the 1st time since JULY–and this was a cluster from beginning to end:

The line up could not do any better than 2 runs until Jason Bay’s (thankyouverymuch, Jason) 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th…

But then, Jonathan Papelbon could not get it done, giving up the tying run on a homer to Dan Johnson, a September call up for Tampa Bay. And as bad as that was, he then gave up TWO doubles, which to the go ahead run for Tampa Bay. Perhaps you should have focused less on your little dancing video before the game, Paps?

THEN, Tito, in a moment of UTTER brilliance (not!) puts Jason Varitek out there in the 9th and allows him to BUNT–I think that is what he was trying to do, but it actually turned out to be this abysmal pop up, which, thankfully, went out of bounds before it could be caught–I guess I should be grateful he did not GIDP, which he does about 1/2 of the time–the other 1/2 he strikes out–which was the outcome this time….Ducky, just Ducky

So Jacoby Ellsbury is on 3rd base, pinch running for Mark Kotsay, (after a successful steal of 2nd, and an advance to 3rd on the bad throw) and Coco Crisp comes up–yeah, the same Coco who has been batting like 702 in the last 7 games or something (I know, its an 11-game hitting streak, hitting .524) and pops out to Carlos Pena–end of game…freaking brilliant…

Big Papi got a portion of last night’s game off, until he pinch hit in the 7th, which Tito was quick to indicate it has nothing to do with the “clicking” in his wrist, but because Scott Kasmir was pitching, and he hasn’t had a day off since the end of the July….

Its Official: Beginning tomorrow at high noon, you can register for the random drawing for the opportunity to purchase Postseason Tickets. The ALDS Drawing will happen on Monday (Sept 15th), with winners being notified the next day. They will then be given instructions on how to order their tickets online on Friday the 19th, between 12 and 6. If you don’t win the drawing, you can try your luck on the phones, where a limited number of tickets will be set aside for telephone purchase. This sill start at 3 on Friday, and you can call (617) 482-4SOX. And pricing is not horrible, relatively speaking: ALDS pricing is $130 for Field/Loge Box Seats, $100 for Pavilion/Right Field Box Seats, $55 for Grandstand Seats, $35 for Bleacher Seats and $30 for standing room. Of course, there is a one-game, two-ticket purchase limit for each winner of the drawing. You can get more info here.

And in a completely bizarro thing–TAMPA BAY gets to do the same thing this year–and the Skanks do not (and they are still in 4th place)…HA HA…

Delusional much?: Julio Lugo actually thinks he is a major contributor to the Red Sox success–when he is starting….Are you ^%@#&@%#@^&%# KIDDING me??? Here are his words: “I am the shortstop…” When asked about Jed Lowrie: “I’m happy he’s done good. That’s it.” And the piece de’ resistance, when asked if there has been any discussion about him and his role, if he does heal in time: “No, we haven’t talked. Everyone knows what I can do.” That’s right Julio, we know you have made 16 errors at short this year, and Jed had made NONE at short (the 1 he has was at 3rd base) and that his offensive production is a TON better than yours–so get over yourself–this team is where they are now, in part, to the fact you are not in the lineup…

In addition to the Robert Clemente Award, the MLB Baseball Players recognize community involvement and service amongst their ranks with the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award. This year’s nominee for the Sox is Sean Casey, who has contributed his time to the Red Sox Foundation , Mass Mentoring and the Jimmy Fund, is also Co-founder of Labels Are For Jars, an organization raising money to feed people in Lawrence, MA, one of the poorest cities in the United States. Fans can vote at MLB.com for 1 player from each division, and these 6 semi-finalists will be voted on by the players themselves. In addition to the Marvin Miller award, the players will give other awards to their brethren, including Overall Player of the Year, Outstanding Player, Pitcher, Rookie and Comeback Player awards in each league. These will be announced and awarded after the World Series. Last year’s winner for Minnesota’s (now LAA Angeles) Torii Hunter….

Tonight: Josh Beckett, in his 2nd start back from the DL, will take the mound and hopefully help the Sox get the series win–hopefully he’ll also pitch lots of innings, so Tito won’t have to go to the semi-depleted bullpens…and I hope we can safely say that Papelbon is not available tonight? Andy Sonnanstine gets the nod for Tampa Bay. 1st pitch 7:05pm